Topics

LRT: Most politicians arrogantly think they need to remake the wheel whenever they get into office. Which is why transit has been so slow to develop in cities like Toronto. Everyone has to bring their own glamour project to the table and knock off their predecessors’. A key reason Ottawa’s LRT is going forward is because Jim Watson had the political sensibility to just stick with “the other guy’s” plan.

Police chief: In February Vern White’s term as Ottawa police chief ended and he entered the Senate but not without leaving with a class-act gesture. White used his retirement party to raise funds to build the Assumption School’s playground. He also released a paper addressing ballooning costs in policing, largely due to asset costs and the considerable increase in procedural steps. These sorts of discussions are what the Senate’s all about and hopefully White will use his time to continue on this path. White’s replacement, Charles Bordeleau, has already shown himself to be a solid chief. Not an outsider, he knows the city well. Tackling gangs is a top priority and he was no softie when it came to telling Occupy police wouldn’t tolerate any fresh tent pegs at Confederation Park.

Big events: With the NHL on hiatus it may seem like there’s nothing to do in Ottawa. But in truth, 2012 was a stellar year for big events. The All Star game came to town in January. Big stars like Bruce Springsteen and Justin Bieber drew big crowds. And the Lansdowne Park project is pretty much a done deal. When Ottawa’s CFL team starts up, the city will be ready for it. They say we roll up the sidewalks at 5 p.m. and sure, that’s probably true on Mondays but we’re coming around to see that this town knows how to party.

Growth: While there are always NIMBYs freaking out about neighbourhood developments, both condo and suburban growth in 2012 was great for Ottawa. It means people want to move here. They want to build roots. It means various employers and developers have done the calculations and decided Ottawa is a place to be. The bottom line: people believe in our city. That’s something to celebrate.

MISSES

The budget: Jim Watson campaigned on annual tax increases staying under 2.5%. But the 2012 number came in at 2.39% and 2013 will be 2.09%. So we came in under target. Cause for celebration, no? Not quite. Department increases tiered to government inflation just perpetuate government bloating. This council term has yet to see a rigourous line-by-line review that could result in a 0% increase depending on what gets cut.

Infrastructure: After the 174 sinkhole debacle, a city review determined half of our infrastructure was in “fair” condition, with quarter being “poor to very poor”. For all the property tax money they receive, for all the employees they have, for all the supposed expert management at the helm the city failed to accomplish one of the few basic roles of municipalities: fixing infrastructure. That said, this is ailing many cities. Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway is crumbling. Yet cities still find time and political capital to deal with silly side issues. Which brings me to...

Public health: Now that McGuinty has stepped down, someone needs to inherit the “Dad” moniker. I nominate Dr. Isra Levy, the city’s medical officer of health. Doctor Dad mused that Ottawa may be wise to follow New York City’s regulation of soda sizes. They also produced a goofy video — broadcast in select movie theatres — about how we should “adopt a helmet”, amongst other unnecessary side projects. Isn’t the purpose of public health to monitor outbreaks and make sure our water is clean? Enough with broadening the mandate.

Contracts: City council needs to order a large shipment of reading classes, and maybe brush up on their legalese. So many of council’s frustrations this year involved contract confusions and snafus. Presto, Orgaworld, even the LRT consortium... I hope council’s New Year’s resolution is to actually read things before they put their name to them.

Furey: Hits and misses at Ottawa City Hall in 2012

LRT: Most politicians arrogantly think they need to remake the wheel whenever they get into office. Which is why transit has been so slow to develop in cities like Toronto. Everyone has to bring their own glamour project to the table and knock off their predecessors’. A key reason Ottawa’s LRT is going forward is because Jim Watson had the political sensibility to just stick with “the other guy’s” plan.

Angela Merkel’s proposed burka ban is huge news not so much because of what it is but because of who’s saying it. She’s one of the last politician in Europe you’d expect to float the idea. It means these sorts of policy ideas are well on their way to becoming acceptable fodder in mainstream, centrist politics.